NEW STUDY: Discovery of Chemical Means to Reverse Ageing and Restore Cellular Function! (26.7.2023)7/26/2023 Human Science Owes An Immeasurable Debt to Other Creatures! Mice in the Sinclair lab have been engineered to age rapidly to test the effectiveness of therapies to reverse the aging process. The mouse on the right has been aged to 150% that of its sibling on the left by disrupting its epigenome. Photo credit: D. Sinclair, Harvard Medical School. Rejuvenation and age reversal of senescent human skin cells by chemical means. Cells in the right two panels have restored compartmentalization of the red fluorescent protein in the nucleus, a marker of youth that was used to find the cocktails, before the scientists confirmed they were younger, based on how genes were expressed. Image credit: J. -H. Yang, Harvard Medical School. 07-12-2023 On July 12, 2023, a new priority research paper was published in Aging, titled, “Chemically induced reprogramming to reverse cellular aging.” BUFFALO, NY- July 12, 2023 – In a ground-breaking study, researchers have unlocked a new frontier in the fight against ageing and age-related diseases. The study, conducted by a team of scientists at Harvard Medical School, has published the first chemical approach to reprogramme cells to a younger state. Previously, this was only achievable using a powerful gene therapy. On July 12, 2023, researchers Jae-Hyun Yang, Christopher A. Petty, Thomas Dixon-McDougall, Maria Vina Lopez, Alexander Tyshkovskiy, Sun Maybury-Lewis, Xiao Tian, Nabilah Ibrahim, Zhili Chen, Patrick T. Griffin, Matthew Arnold, Jien Li, Oswaldo A. Martinez, Alexander Behn, Ryan Rogers-Hammond, Suzanne Angeli, Vadim N. Gladyshev, and David A. Sinclair from Harvard Medical School, University of Maine and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published a new priority research paper in Ageing, titled, “Chemically induced reprogramming to reverse cellular ageing.” The team's findings build upon the discovery that the expression of specific genes, called Yamanaka factors, could convert adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This Nobel Prize-winning discovery raised the question of whether it might be possible to reverse cellular ageing without causing cells to become too young and turn cancerous. In this new study, the researchers screened for molecules that could, in combination, reverse cellular ageing and rejuvenate human cells. They developed high-throughput cell-based assays to distinguish young cells from old and senescent cells, including transcription-based ageing clocks and a real-time nucleocytoplasmic protein compartmentalization (NCC) assay. In an exciting discovery, the team has identified six chemical cocktails that restore NCC and genome-wide transcript profiles to youthful states and reverse transcriptomic age in less than a week. The Harvard researchers previously demonstrated that it is indeed possible to reverse cellular aging without uncontrolled cell growth by virally-introducing specific Yamanaka genes into cells. Studies on the optic nerve, brain tissue, kidney, and muscle have shown promising results, with improved vision and extended lifespan observed in mice and, recently, a report of improved vision in monkeys. The implications of this new discovery are far-reaching, opening avenues for regenerative medicine and, potentially, whole-body rejuvenation. By developing a chemical alternative to age reversal via gene therapy, this research could revolutionize the treatment of ageing, injuries and age-related diseases and offers the potential for lower costs and shorter timelines in development. On the heels of positive results in reversing blindness in monkeys in April 2023, preparations for human clinical trials of the lab’s age reversal gene therapy are in progress. “Until recently, the best we could do was slow ageing. New discoveries suggest we can now reverse it,” said David A. Sinclair, A.O., Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Genetics and co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Ageing Research at Harvard Medical School and lead scientist on the project. “This process has previously required gene therapy, limiting its widespread use.” The team at Harvard envisions a future where age-related diseases can be effectively treated, injuries can be repaired more efficiently, and the dream of whole-body rejuvenation becomes a reality. “This new discovery offers the potential to reverse ageing with a single pill, with applications ranging from improving eyesight to effectively treating numerous age-related diseases,” Sinclair said. Original English Language Article: Click HERE DISCLAIMER: The Owner of this Daoist Blog does not necessarily condone the use of animals by humans in scientific experimentation. Although I fully understand the reason animals are used - and appreciate the advances made for humanity in so doing - my personal inclinations tend to divert away from such practices. For instance, one mouse lost his youth (and 'life') through being made to be artificially 'older'. Having made this clear, my advice is to think for yourselves and make-up your own minds. ACW (26.7.2023)
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Dear T We possess a very rare book of Wong Tai Sin Predictions - in the original Chinese language and English translation - part of a limited edition published in 1984 in Hong Kong! The Wong Tai Sin Temple (Sik Sik Yuen in the local Cantonese dialect) apparently first produced a little-known English translation of the Predictions during 1981 - and then this 1986 edition was sponsored by a local Board of Hospitals (there was no NHS in Hong Kong). The small Admission Fee to the Temple funded the Hospitals - and it is the Management of these Hospitals which financed the publishing. We attach a reading for you - together with the Introduction and Foreword, etc, to this book. Wong Tai Sin Temple - Online (English) 'Sik Sik Yuen' (嗇色園) is the Cantonese pronunciation of 'Se Se Yuan' - with the first two ideogram being different in structure and meaning - but sounding (and looking) similar' to Western ears and eyes: a) 嗇 (Se) = Careful Accumulation (Through Labour) b) 色 (Se) = Healthy Complexion c) 園 (Yuan) = Temple (Where Medical Healing Takes Place) It seems that '嗇色' (Se Se - Sik Sik) are read together to suggest a 'healthy self-cultivation' - a process which involves meditation, self-discipline and ritualistic behaviour - as well as others (such as Doctors and Nurses) helping when such help is needed. With regards 'Wong Tai Sin' (黃大仙) - some of the suggested 'English' translations are out of date: 1) 黃 (Wong) = Surname (Literally 'Yellow' Like the Colour of the Earth in Central China - Written 'Huang') 2) 大 (Tai) = Grand 3) 仙 (Sin) = Immortal The Commentary above (listed in the book under discussion) suggests that '大仙' (Tai Sin - Tai Xian) should be translated as 'Almighty God' - and I think we can see the missionaries at work! Of course, this is a Daoist expression with no Judeo-Christian connotation whatsoever - meaning 'Grand Immortal' - or someone who has spent many years practicing Daoist self-cultivation and who has made a tremendous breakthrough regarding the acquisition of robust health and a long life! I include a photograph of our family shrine here in (London) in the UK - which has just been cleaned! Thanks Adrian
Modern medicine is obviously correct and always developing. Over the last two-hundred years or so, the human understanding of how the human body and mind functions has increased dramatically away from the thinking that dominated the primitive tribal formations of early human civilisation. Having made this point clear, I would also like to clarify that other great cultures have also developed their own particular types of medicines and models of what it means to ‘fit’. In this respect, modern medicine has probably evolved from the Greco-Roman tradition which culminated in the Renaissance (14th-17th centuries CE) in Florence (Italy), the Enlightenment (17th-18th centuries CE) in France and the Industrial Revolution (18th-19th centuries CE) in England. However, far more ancient civilisations – such as Egypt, India and China – also developed their own quite often sophisticated systems of medicine premised, it is true, on as much myth and religious notions as it was upon the sound observation of material processes! In many ways, whilst lack the modern dependency upon materialism, the ancient doctors had to take into account many more cultural and superstitious elements when formulating a guiding medical principle that culminated in the treatment of physical symptoms. Although the Western and Eastern models of medicine have both developed the aloof professional dispenser of medical knowledge – the Eastern model of medicine, particularly that of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), allows for an entire genre of what might be called ‘self-healing’ in the sense that this system of health maintenance is considered ‘preventative’ in nature. In other words, the daily or weekly health regimens an individual puts themselves through, are expected to ‘prevent’ the build-up of negative energy in the mind and body, and therefore remove a foundation forming that allows major diseases to form. Of course, a weakness of this method is that a practitioner can never be fully sure just what his health regimen has ‘prevented’ from forming – as there is no available (physical) evidence that records all the illnesses that have been avoided! This does mean that preventative medicine does not work, because even modern medicine allows for the idea that a healthy lifestyle tends to diminish the chances of major illnesses developing in the mind and body. This is a logical approach, as leading a reckless and irresponsible life has definitely been recorded as shortening life-spans! Furthermore, living in poor or difficult circumstances (through no fault of oneself) can also lead to a diminished life expectancy. As somebody of part-Chinese ethnicity – and who has been brought-up with a traditional Hakka Chinese culture – TCM is far more than a doctor’s office and his medical cabinets! It is far more than acupuncture and seated massage, etc. Firstly, the power of TCM (within a traditional Chinese cultural context) stems from the (ancient) family Clan Name. Our name is pronounced ‘Chan’ in the Cantonese dialect, Chin in the Hakka dialect and Chen in the Putonghua language. The old ideogram for ‘Chan’ is ‘陳’ and this is one of the original ‘One Hundred Surnames’ of China. The centre of village life is the ‘Name Temple’ within which the remains of the ancestors reside in specially built ceramic jars. This is usually next to a temple to Buddha, Guan Yin and/or various Daoist or other spiritual beings. The Daoist God of our family is ‘Wong Tai Sin’ - the God of Medicine and Healing. When we bring flowers to the temple and light incense sticks – we are paying our respects to our Clan Ancestors, the Buddha, Confucius, Laozi, Guan Yin, Wong Tai Sin and a number of village gods (that live in the ground, the water, the sky and trees, etc). Practicing our martial forms and strengthening inner and outer exercises in this temple is also considered ‘an act of worship’. The Clan Ancestors pass on to us the (inner) Ancestral Qi when we are conceived in the womb – and the (outer) Ancestral Qi through the traditions associated with our Hakka Chinese village – which includes reading, writing, hunting, fishing, farming, medicine and martial arts practice. According to the old ways – these traditions belong to our lineage (and village) only – and to reveal them to disrespectful outsider has the effect of taking away the inherent and accumulated cultural and spiritual power! As someone who lives in the West and respect science – I can say that TCM exists in parallel to modern medicine - sometimes fulfilling similar tasks – sometimes fulfilling quite different tasks. Inner fitness, for instance, has no equivalent in Western medicine. Inner fitness is the ability to allow the inner qi-energy to flow smoothly and feely through the inner body channels regardless of the health of the body. For instance, if a practitioner has an injured knee and has problems weight-bearing and moving properly during conventional exercise – through the directing of the qi-energy through the area in a non-confrontational manner – the joints works ‘freely’ and without pain despite the injury still being present. Indeed, subjecting an injured part of the body to this ‘medical’ process (usually through an appropriate qigong sequence), the injury itself begins to speed-up its healing capabilities. Although this is sometimes described as being ‘all in the mind’ I can attest that there is a definite physical component to this process. Alternatively, it is ‘not all in the knee’ - but an integration of appropriate psychological processes and physical manipulation. As an injury is an injury – no amount of positive thinking will help a practitioner ‘ignore’ a knee’ injury as the body and mind simply does not work in that way. I suspect that certain aspects of ancient medical systems are very advanced despite the superstitious and cultural nature of its support-structure, and that the Western medical system, as advanced as it is, will one day ‘discover’ these processes for itself!
The following details are recorded in the ‘Jinhua Mansion Chronicles’ (金华府志 - Jin Hua Fu Zhi). The historical figure named - ‘Huang Chuping’ (黃初平) - is thought to have lived sometime between 328 – 386 CE (during the Jin Dynasty). As an ordinary human-being, he was born into a poor family of shepherds who lived in Lanxi City - situated in the Jinhua area of Zhejiang province, Mainland China. At the beginning he lived an ordinary where he left the family home in the early morning and herd the sheep into the hills to eat the grass. During the day, he would protect the family sheep from any predators and then take them back down the mountain as it began to get dark. However, one day he met a number of unusual-looking Daoist priests who all very old men – but who looked as If they were very young! Light beamed from their bright eyes and they moved with grace and speed – never slipping or making an error! They were healthy, happy and content! Huang Chuping begged from these Daoist Immortals that he be taught their secret meditative technique! Knowing that he was the ‘true’ disciple’ they had been waiting to encounter – these Sages immediately taught him how to practice ‘neidan’. As he practiced ‘neidan’ meditation in a cave within the ‘Chisong’ (赤松) Mountains – he became known as the ‘Chisong Immortal Master’ (赤松仙子 - Chi Song Xian Zi). When not engaged in seated meditation, he would pursue self-cultivation whilst spending active time looking after the sheep under his care. This meant that he did not return home for the next forty-years – when his brother – Huang Chuqi (黄初起) who came looking for him! The two brothers met by chance outside the cave, and when asked where his sheep were – Huang Chuping pointed at a group of white stones and gave a transformative ‘shout’ which immediately turned the stones back into sheep! Huang Chuqi was astonished to see this Daoist manipulation of power and asked to be taught the ‘neidan’ practice! From that day onwards, Huang Chuqi resolved to stay in the cave and follow his younger brother as his ‘Master’. As their mind-set and physical discipline was very pure – all worldly habits and conventions were immediately abandoned and forgotten. They drank only the morning dew and ate the local pine needles. In the end, this is how Huang Chuqi also became an ‘Immortal’! This is why it is said that the younger brother – Huang Chuping – inherited the genuine Daoist lineage and became a great ‘Immortal’ who taught his older brother as his (lineage) subordinate disciple – a very unusual situation in feudal China! However, Huang Chuping was taught by Master Ge Hong (葛洪) [283-343 CE) - who was a medical expert and renowned for his profound yin-yang knowledge. Ge Hong may have also initiated Huang Chuqi into the lineage but the facts are unclear. Although self-reliance and ‘neidan’ practice were emphasised – those who lacked the ability to pursue this teaching could focus their mind and discipline their body whilst they ‘pray’ to Huang Chuping to heal them from a distance. Huang Chuping eventually became known as ‘Huang Da Xian’ (黄大仙) - or ‘Wong Tai Sin’ in the Cantonese dialect. This translates as ‘Huang Great Immortal’! As word of his healing abilities spread, hundreds of people travelled to the Jinhua area where they establish a shrine that eventually grew into a proper temple! This was known as the ‘Chisong Temple’ (赤松观 - Chi Song Guan). This is considered the ancestral temple of the Wong Dai Sin movement. As Wong Tai Sin grew in popularity amongst the Chinese people – more temples to him spread along the Southeast coastal areas. Temples have even spread throughout Southeast Asia and even to the United States! Today, the most famous temples to Wong Tai Sin are in the Jinhua area of Zhejiang province and in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong! Indeed, it is amongst the Hong Kong people that Wong Tai Sin is associated with martial arts practice and medical healing!
Generally speaking, many people do not understand what Daoist self-cultivation is, and what is expected of the practitioner. For a woman, the breasts diminish and the menstrual cycle ceases completely. For a man, the penis retracts and all ejaculation ceases. If you are searching for Daoist longevity, and you are pursuing the Quanzhan path under an authentic teacher, then this is the situation where you will end-up. Of course, only if the practitioner follows all the rules correctly, and is devoted to the self-cultivation. This is how ancient Chinese medicine states that an individual body is prepared for an extended life-span. Before reaching this stage, however, there are many levels of attainment. This allows the Master to help people eradicate any and all illnesses out of their mind and body. The point of all this effort is to stay in the body for as long as possible (if appropriate), by altering the frequency of how each body-cell operates and the entire body functions. Regardless of how long an individual lives – all existence results in death and the Daoist practitioner must be able to transition to the next stage of existence with the minimum of fuss. Daoism, therefore, is a path of life-extension and life-transition (as there is no ‘real’ or ‘permanent’ concept termed ‘death’). Dying, as human culture terms it, is how the transition processes seems to those who have not yet died, and who remain on this level of existence watching others die. Death, by and large, is interpreted by those who have not experienced it (at least in a conscious manner). Leaving the body can happen whilst the practitioner still occupies it. This means there is a ‘coming’ and ‘going’ whereby a practitioner can leave the body whilst actively participating in the practice of seated meditation, and return back to the body at will. This changes when the life-span of the body comes to an end and ‘egress’ is achieved. This is the ability to consciously ‘leave’ the body on a permanent basis without any sense of regret or loss, etc. As the transition to the next stage of existence, there is a tremendous outpouring of light which is healing and full of love and compassion! This light exists for all-beings to benefit from. This is a direct result of returning to the ‘pre-natal’ breathing – or stage of realisation (recreating the ‘safe’ and ‘enclosed’ environment of the womb and the non-breathing nourishment received through the placenta of the mother). The ‘post-natal’ breathing that is common in life (I.e., the ‘ordinary breathing mechanism’) is transitioned back into rarefied states of mind and body existence so that the breathing mechanism is completely transformed. This journey begins and ends with the breath and the way in which the breathing mechanism is perceived and understood by the reflective-mind. The refined awareness penetrates through the breathing mechanism and directs the practitioner into a conscious expansion of the underlying fabric of reality and the direct perception of its empty reality. It is this dimension of emptiness that contains all things (in the past, present and future), which the practitioner can comprehend all at once, and travel to and from any one point of being at will.
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AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles (內丹 - Shi Da Dao) - Qianfeng Lineage: Zhao Bichen (1860-1942), Charles Luk (1898-1978) and Richard Hunn (1949-2006). Acknowledges Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺) of Beijing as the ONLY Lineage Head of the Zhao Family Lineage of Qianfeng Daoism in China and the world. Archives
February 2024
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